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King Louis XVI
On May 10, 1774, Louis Auguste became King Louis XVI. His oldest brother died and he was 9 at the time, he died of an unknown reason. Louis' father then died of tuberculosis, and his mother later died of tuberculosis as well. When Louis' grandfather died (Louis XV), Louis XVI became the king of France. He had intentions to do good as a king, but he was faced unloyal subjects and rising debt which lead to the Revolution. -
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The French Revolution
During this time, France was undergoing a change within the borders. The people were tired of the old ways and wanted something more just and fair. The absolute monarchs didn't allow that fairness to rise so many people resulted to violence, this was the bloodiest time in French history as it did not last a couple of years, it was decades. -
Calling of the Estates-General
France was going through a financial crisis and the General of Finance was taking notice in this, so he advice the king to call the Estates-General. The king followed the advice and it was recalled immediately that they have not been called for nearly 200 years. During the court, the Parliament of Paris invoked that each estate receives one vote, no matter how many people are in that estate. Since the First & Second Estate shared similar privileges, that vote over ruled the Third Estate's vote. -
Formation of The National Assembly
The Third Estate declared itself as the National Assembly and although it was formed without the kings approval, they still claimed to work at the kings interests. On June 18, the National Assembly was going to meet up, but the king locked the doors for the members of the National Assembly. This did not stop them from meeting as they went across the street into one of the tennis courts. There they took the famous "Tennis Court Oath." Here they all pledged to make a new constitution for France. -
Storming of the Bastille
The Storming of the Bastille is believed to be the beginning of the French Revolution. It was used as a state prison for upper-class men and women such as royalty, politicians, and spies. In the Bastille there was ammunition that revolutionary leaders were demanding, such as gunpowder and cannons. The military governor of the Bastille did not cooperate with the mob so they began to threaten the guards and governor. He later showed them that the cannons were unarmed, this is when the mob attacked -
Great Fear
The Great Fear was a time in which there was much panic and riots among the Third Estate because of the rumors going around. It was believed that the privileged (First & Third Estate) were going to overthrow the Third Estate. The troops gathered around Paris were making people believe the rumor and this is what lead the people to The Storming of Bastille. It also lead to people to go against their lords and all throughout France there was riots. -
Women's March on Versailles
Women all over Paris wanted to feed their hungry families, so they marched to Versailles and demanded to see, "The Baker", "The Baker's Wife", and "The Baker's Child." The King said that he would meet with a few of the women and distribute all the bread in Versailles. An angry mob was able to march up to the Queen's quarters and were viciously trying to attack Marie Antoinette, but she just barely escaped the crowd. The King then announced to the people that he and his family would go to Paris. -
National Convention is Formed
The National Convention was France's third attempt at a legislature. The National Convention lasted three years and those three years were very "exciting." There was much violence, war, and an increase in radicalism in the time period and eventually this all lead to a bad economy and corrupt politics. The National Assembly wasn't improving the French, it was leaving them in the same place, just making them going through a loop with no way out. The radicals eventually kicked out the Assembly. -
King Louis XVI is executed
When the royal couple was forced out of Versailles they came up with the plan to escape to Austria, but they were caught in a village just next to the border and from there they were carried back to Paris. In August 1972, they were imprisoned and there they found evidence that the King was writing to public enemies such as the Austrians, fr this he was able to be convicted for treason. In January, 1973 he was sentenced to the death penalty. -
Reign of Terror
During this time, France was in a Civil War and surrounding armies were attacking as well. The governing body at the time decided to rule with terror during and there were many executions, around 40,000 people were executed. Anyone suspected of being against the Revolution was sent to the guillotine, people were even sent for complaining about prices. Everyone was to follow exactly what the revolutionaries wanted, nothing less and nothing more. Any word against the new laws was seen as treason. -
The Directory of 1795
The Directory was the governing body of France from 1795 to 1799. After the Reign of Terror and the third constitution being made, the Directory was born and it had two branches. To avoid tyranny and corruption the executive branch wasn't given as much power, but one of the biggest downfalls for the Directory was corruption. When Napoleon returned in 1799, the Directory was abolished and the Consulate began. -
Napoleon Takes Power
Napoleon was able to become the leader of France as he favored the revolutionaries and their wishes. He was able to suppress a royalist attack against Paris, and this promoted him to Major General. The Directory allowed Napoleon to attack England but instead he attacked Egypt, and was successful in most his battles. Soon after, Napoleon was part of the coup of 18 Brumaire which takes credit for overthrowing the Directory. As the Consulate became the government body, Napoleon had first consul. -
Napoleon invades Russia
The Russians and the French were at peace but when France was expanding itself, Russia refused to enter the Continental System. Napoleon then sent troops to Finland in order to intimidate the Russians, but the Czar was still resisting. Napoleon then sent his Grande Armée into Russia, ultimately breaking the peace. Once the Army reached Moscow and Napoleon was in the Kremlin, the city began to burn. It is believed that the Russians burned their own city to drive the French away. -
Napoleon's Defeat at Waterloo
By 1812 Napoleon saw that his army was beginning to suffer in his battles. He lost Spain then he encountered total defeat from the allied forces in 1814. In early 1815 he escaped back to France and raised his Grand Army and his first orders were to march to Belgium. He defeated the Prussians on June 16 and he sent around one-third of his army to chase down the fleeing Prussians. His remaining 72,000 men went against the 68,000 enemies near the village of Waterloo, and the French were defeated.
